Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Deputy Jonathan O’Brien has today in the Dáil questioned the Government on the shocking deficiencies in numbers of midwives in Cork University Maternity Hospital.

Deputy O’Brien said;

“The recommended international best practice ratio for midwives to births is 1:29.5. The actual figure of midwives to births in Cork is 1:37. They are delivering 25 babies a day.

“It is way above what is actually considered safe for women and babies and CUH would have to recruit almost 60 extra midwives to meet international best practice.

“The maternity system is over-stretched and under-resourced.

“There is also a real need to ensure that women’s birth choices are respected.

“The HSE is risking women’s lives because this government has decided that bondholders are worth more than women and babies.

“It is not good enough for the HSE to simply state that there’s going to be a workload and workforce review and it is or view that recruitment embargo must be lifted and 60 midwives must be recruited to CUH.”